Hedgehog Mountain Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
1,081 acres4.5 mi of trail
Hedgehog Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Deering
34% of Deering’s land is conserved: 6,712 acres
433 acres are parks and preserves, 223 per 1,000 residents. 36 miles of mapped trail cross Deering, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Hedgehog Mountain Forest (4.5 mi), Vincent State Forest (2.9 mi), Wilkins-Campbell Forest (1.2 mi).
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
34%
6,712 acres · of 30.6 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
433 ac
223 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,526 ft
Clark Summit
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Deering?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Deering have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Deering is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Deering’s overall grade.
Conserved land34% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land223 acres of park per 1,000 residents (433 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home14% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Deering’s 34% is ahead of 93% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 48% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Hedgehog Mountain Forest, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Vincent State Forest
Managed by NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
296 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wilkins-Campbell Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
267 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Beatrice Trum Hunter Preserve
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
255 acres0.7 mi of trail
Hedgehog Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
High Five
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
53 acres0.7 mi of trail
Hedgehog Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tom Rush Forest
Managed by Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
297 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hodgdon Pasture
Managed by New England Foresty Foundation
128 acres0.6 mi of trail
Hedgehog Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Hedgehog Mountain Forest1,081 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
DirectionsVincent State Forest296 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · NH Dept of Resources & Econ Dev
Wilkins-Campbell Forest267 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Beatrice Trum Hunter Preserve255 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
High Five53 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Tom Rush Forest297 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Hodgdon Pasture128 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · New England Foresty Foundation
Dudley Pond Forest135 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Deering Wildlife Sanctuary798 acres · Audubon Society of New Hampshire
John & Anna King Forest320 acres · Society for the Prot. of NH Forests
Edward Cobbett Forest103 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Young Forest70 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Burke Family Wildlife Preserve61 acres · Piscuataquog Land Conservancy
Gerard J. Dumas Forest32 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Standke Tract21 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Gregg Hill Nature Preserve14 acres · Deering Conservation Commissioni
Tyrrell Waters Tract12 acres · Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Who protects it
6,712 conserved acres
34% of Deering’s land. Who manages Deering’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits4,854 ac
Town or city965 ac
Joint287 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government52 ac
State natural resources31 ac
Not recorded3,465 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,745 acPrivate Conservation · 3,057 acUnknown Easement · 1,366 acState Resource Management Area · 317 acLocal Other or Unknown · 138 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,168 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 124 of 136 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deering Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 496 | Unknown |
| John and Anna King Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 319 | Unknown |
| Vincent State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 317 | Unknown |
| Rush Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 301 | Unknown |
| Deering Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 275 | Unknown |
| Hedgehog Mountain Forest (Dioreg) Private Conservation | Not recorded | 234 | Unknown |
| Hedgehog Mountain Forest (Moses) Private Conservation | Not recorded | 176 | Unknown |
| UCC Tract Private Conservation | Not recorded | 176 | Unknown |
| Hodgdon Pasture Private Conservation | Not recorded | 141 | Unknown |
| Baghdoyan Parcel Private Conservation | Not recorded | 113 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Deering
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Deering
4 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Deering
Clark Summit1,526 ft elevation
DirectionsWilson Hill1,401 ft elevation · In High Five
DirectionsHedgehog Hill1,352 ft elevation · In Hodgdon Pasture
DirectionsGregg Hill1,319 ft elevation · In Tom Rush Forest
DirectionsCove Hill1,181 ft elevation
DirectionsSodom Hill1,178 ft elevation
DirectionsGoodale Hill1,142 ft elevation
DirectionsBartlett Hill1,125 ft elevation
Directions2 more peaks
Bartlett Hill1,093 ft elevation
DirectionsLocke Hill981 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.9 miHorses · 1.9 miUnpaved · 17.5 mi
Hedgehog Ridge Trail4.5 mi
Peterborough and Hillsborough Railroad4.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Hillsborough Recreational Rail TrailBike route
4 miCourts & fields
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Deering: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 34 | 42 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 78 | 70 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Deering →
Next door
Deering and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deering | 34% | 1.2 | 223 | 14% | A− |
| Antrim | 22% | 1.0 | 2 | 24% | B− |
| Hillsborough | 19% | 1.0 | 63 | 41% | A− |
| Bennington | 11% | 1.2 | 72 | 30% | A− |
| Francestown | 33% | 2.0 | 226 | 27% | A |
| Weare | 24% | 1.1 | 115 | 23% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Deering
Where can I hike in Deering?
The longest trail networks: Hedgehog Mountain Forest, 4.5 miles; Vincent State Forest, 2.9 miles; Wilkins-Campbell Forest, 1.2 miles; Beatrice Trum Hunter Preserve, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Deering is conserved land?
34% of its land, against a typical 19% for a New Hampshire town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Deering’s trails?
Hedgehog Mountain Forest and Vincent State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Deering?
6,939 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Deering or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 433 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Deering have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Deering neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →